Rishon LeZion

Sister cities

• Kharkiv

History

Rishon LeZion was founded on 31 July 1882, by ten Lovers of Zion pioneers from Kharkiv, Ukraine (then the Russian Empire) headed by Zalman David Levontin. Reuven Yudalevich was also a member of the group. The British vice-consul in Jaffa, Haim Amzaleg, purchased of land southeast of present-day Tel Aviv, the site of watering holes called ‘Uyūn Qārā (literally 'fountain of the crier') from Mustafa Abdallah ali Dajan. According to Marom, ‘Uyūn Qārā offered "a convenient launching pad for early land purchase initiatives which shaped the pattern of Jewish settlement until the beginning of the British Mandate". Amzaleg signed a declaration to the settlers stating that none of the structures on this land would ever be his own. In addition to the problems posed by sandy soil and lack of water, the newcomers had no agricultural experience. Baron Rothschild brought in experts who drilled for water, finding the groundwater table uneven. Wells were built at a depth of 20–25 meters. In 1883, Itzhak Leib Toporovski a blacksmith of the young village created the first iron plow in the land of Israel, and in 1885 the flag that would later become the flag of Israel was raised for the first time as part of the celebrations of the 3rd anniversary of the village. When Baron Edmond James de Rothschild took over, sending in his administrators and agricultural guide Shaul Helzner of Mikve Israel, major progress was made in the spheres of agriculture, citrus and viticulture. In November 1883 the first rows were planted, led by ten Russian farmers who were further trained at Mikveh Israel agriculture school, also funded in part by Rothschild. The Great Synagogue, which became a major focus of life in Rishon LeZion, was built between 1885 and 1889. Under Rothschild's patronage, the…

Geography

Rishon LeZion is located on the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain and the northern Shephelah. The city sees the majority of its annual of precipitation between October and March. In July 2026, Israel's National Mine Action Authority and the National Institute of Oceanography started Israel's first project to map and remove unexploded underwater munitions from part of the Mediterranean coast off Rishon LeZion. The project aims to restore public access to approximately 2 kilometres of shoreline previously used by the military, and to research the movement of underwater munitions to support similar clearance operations.

Most-observed species

• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,522
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  14,257
• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  13,679
• White-spectacled Bulbul

  Pycnonotus xanthopygos (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833) · Aves
  12,291
• Laughing Dove

  Spilopelia senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,906
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  11,705
• Graceful Prinia

  Prinia gracilis (Lichtenstein, 1823) · Aves
  11,565
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  11,132

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2026-01-15
  14 km S of Arad, Israel
• M 4.1 — 2023-02-07
  Dead Sea region
• M 3.7 — 2022-01-23
  4 km ENE of Kafr Mi?r, Israel
• M 4.1 — 2022-01-22
  4 km E of Taiyiba, Israel
• M 4.5 — 2020-02-06
  26 km W of Atlit, Israel
• M 4.2 — 2015-07-30
  24 km NNE of ‘En Boqeq, Israel